Andrey Kurkov is Ukraine’s most celebrated novelist. When Russia invaded Ukraine he turned his writing to journalism and memoir, but his latest book is a work of fiction set amid the chaos of the Russian Revolution. The Silver Bone (translated by Boris Dralyuk) is the first in a trilogy of historical mysteries in which the recently orphaned detective investigates his first case while Bolsheviks, Cossacks, and white Army Guards all vie to take control of Kyiv.
The journalist and writer Peter Pomerantsev retells the daring story of the WWII propogandist Sefton Delmer who managed to infiltrate German airwaves and skilfully question Nazi doctrine. How to Win an Information War reveals the extent of the complexity of spin and indoctrination used in the past, alongside the role of propaganda today in Putin’s Russia.
The information war is heading into a new era with the development of generative AI which makes it simple to produce fake text, audio and videos. The news editor at MIT Technology Review Charlotte Jee says the pace of change is extraordinary, and regulation is lagging behind, as deepfakes are becoming more difficult to distinguish from actual human content.
Producer: Katy Hickman
The Reality of War
Storytelling at the Edinburgh Festivals
British culture and European influence
Shame, Status and Self-invention
Deserts and the Nuclear Age
Altered Minds
Arundhati Roy on castes and outcasts
Survival and Destruction
Dark Satanic Mills
Jordan Peterson: Rules for Life
The Death of Democracy
Mysteries of the Universe
Life Is a Dream
1968: Radicals and Riots
The Good Samaritan
Faith and Doubt
Love and Loss
In Praise of Passion
Free Thinking Festival at Sage Gateshead
Art and Civilisations
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It is Free
The Modern West
Global News Podcast
Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4
The Infinite Monkey Cage
You’re Dead to Me
Elis James and John Robins